Description
The Renault 5 Turbo was designed in the late 1970s as Renault’s bold response to the evolution of international rallying. Driving the project were Jean Terramorsi and an ambition to go far beyond merely adapting an existing road-going model, giving birth to a genuine competition car of striking originality. Building on the early turbocharger developments carried out at Alpine, the R5 Turbo adopts a radical architecture with a mid-mounted rear engine, a deeply revised chassis and substantially widened track. Homologated in Group 4 in 1980, it quickly established itself as one of the most distinctive and effective cars of its generation, combining performance, balance and character at the dawn of the Group B era. For the 1982 season, Renault entered its R5 Turbos in selected rounds of the World Rally Championship, including the formidable Rallye Côte d’Ivoire, better known as Bandama. Fought over thousands of kilometres of punishing African stages, this event ranks among the most demanding of its era. The car shown is entrusted to Jean Ragnotti, an iconic and charismatic figure of French rallying, whose driving style perfectly suits the car’s temperament. Paired with Jean-Marc Andrié, he faced extreme conditions and top-level opposition, notably Michèle Mouton. Despite a promising start, the event underscored its hardness: following an incident and a poorly anticipated note, the car flew over a crest before crashing down violently, resulting in a crash and retirement. It was subsequently repatriated to France and re-entered Renault Sport’s workshops. True factory Group 4, this Renault 5 Turbo comes directly from Renault Sport’s competition department and retains the characteristics of the era’s official cars. It is notably distinguished by its Renault Sport engine developing around 260 to 270 horsepower, its dry-sump lubrication system, its Chausson air/ water intercooler, its specific turbocharger, its De Carbon adjustable suspension and its reinforced bodyshell by Matter. On its return from Bandama, the car was kept by Renault Sport before being presented in 1984 to Jean Ragnotti by Patrick Landon, then head of the rally programme. Restored by the Bozian brothers, historic Renault competition partners, it was returned to a configuration faithful to its period involvement. Kept for many years by Ragnotti, then by a collector, it now belongs to its third owner in about ten years. Today maintained by Michel Crespel, it combines factory provenance, a period competition history and documented provenance, making it a rare and particularly fascinating example of Renault’s official rally heritage.
